Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond

62%
Game Brain Score Based on 3,318 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • gameplay
Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond Game Cover
VR Doesn't Quite Come Naturally To Above And Beyond, But It's Still An Impressive Medal Of Honor Reboot
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"Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond" is a intense VR game set in WW2, where you play as an OSS agent completing missions across land, air, and sea. The game features a rich single-player campaign, historical short films, and multiplayer matches that take place on various sites across Europe. Authentic details and challenging combat exercises are integrated throughout the game.

  • PC
  • Virtual Reality
  • Windows
  • Oculus VR
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

62%
Audience ScoreBased on 3,318 reviews
story446 positive mentions
optimization181 negative mentions
  • Great VR experience with immersive environments and engaging gameplay.
  • Nostalgic for fans of the Medal of Honor series, capturing the essence of classic WWII shooters.
  • Variety of missions and scenarios, including unique gameplay elements like flying bombers and tank battles.
  • Frequent loading screens and cutscenes disrupt gameplay flow, making it feel disjointed.
  • Poor optimization leads to performance issues, even on high-end hardware.
  • Simplistic gun mechanics and AI behavior detract from the overall experience.
  • story1,896 mentions

    The story of "Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it predictable and lacking depth. While some appreciate the nostalgic elements and immersive moments, others criticize the disjointed narrative structure, excessive cutscenes, and unengaging characters. Overall, the campaign is seen as a blend of interesting scenarios and frustrating pacing, with a few standout missions that elevate the experience despite its flaws.

    • “The story is immersive and the characters are really well designed.”
    • “The depth and breadth of the story kept me captivated throughout the game.”
    • “The story is engaging and there are a variety of battlefields.”
    • “The story's ending was quite devoid of emotion.”
    • “I can't even tell you what the story is about, because I cared that little about it.”
    • “The story is extremely bland and has very little depth, gunplay is serviceable at best, level design is pretty okay but that's the best thing I can say about this game.”
  • graphics764 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the stunning visuals and attention to detail, particularly in VR environments, while others criticize the lack of optimization and limited graphical settings. Some players find the graphics to be on par with other VR titles, though not as impressive as "Half-Life: Alyx," and note that high system requirements can lead to performance issues. Overall, while the graphics are often described as beautiful and immersive, they are also seen as demanding and occasionally inconsistent, leading to a varied player experience.

    • “The graphics are incredible.”
    • “The visuals are stunning with a HP Reverb G2 and an AMD 6800XT.”
    • “The attention to detail is truly phenomenal and the graphics are rich and stunning.”
    • “For a 170 GB game, it is laggy, has bad acting, poor graphics, and poor animations.”
    • “The game isn't even decent graphically in terms of effects (water, snow, explosion, etc.).”
    • “I have a decent computer that runs any AAA game easily on max settings, but this game, that has sub-par visuals, is giving me constant low FPS as well as overall intense framerate instability.”
  • gameplay676 mentions

    The gameplay of "Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond" has received mixed reviews, with many players praising the gun mechanics and immersive environments, while others criticize the dated mechanics, excessive cutscenes, and frequent loading screens that disrupt the flow of play. While some find the shooting mechanics satisfying and the campaign enjoyable, others feel the gameplay is simplistic and marred by technical issues, leading to a less engaging experience overall. Overall, the game offers a blend of fun and frustration, appealing to some VR enthusiasts but leaving others disappointed.

    • “Gunplay and gameplay is great with almost every object in the environment being interactable.”
    • “I didn't know what to expect with the mixed reviews, but the gameplay was solid.”
    • “The gameplay is tons of fun and scary at the same time.”
    • “From story to gameplay, it continuously shoots itself in the foot.”
    • “There are too many cinematic cutscenes and too short game sequences; it is simply terrible gameplay, very simple, poorly constructed characters, and the game does not make any fun at all.”
    • “The gameplay segments are minuscule and painfully easy even on the hardest settings.”
  • optimization579 mentions

    The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with many players reporting severe performance issues such as stuttering, screen tearing, and crashes, even on high-end systems. While some users have managed to achieve acceptable performance, the overall consensus is that the game is poorly optimized, requiring significant improvements and additional graphical settings to enhance the experience. Many reviewers recommend waiting for patches and optimizations before purchasing, as the current state of the game is deemed unplayable for a substantial number of players.

    • “While it is not the most optimized game, I usually get 72fps with a 3070ti, and there have not been any crashes.”
    • “It's well optimized, maybe not as well as Alyx, but the experience is quite smooth and enjoyable with no big flaws or bugs.”
    • “The game is well optimized if they can get this 170 GB game to perform so smooth as I experienced.”
    • “The game is almost unplayable due to optimization issues and screen tearing. The manual reloading is also not great, and some of the cutscenes should be cut way shorter. You will find yourself standing at a table for 5 minutes listening to yapping.”
    • “This game has almost zero optimization. It runs like absolute hell, although my PC meets the minimum requirements. The fact this game takes up over 175 gigs of data is jaw-dropping considering the game has the least impressive graphics I've ever seen for an AAA video game title.”
    • “Horribly unoptimized. My RTX 2070 chugs and dies at even the firing range.”
  • stability118 mentions

    The game's stability has been widely criticized, with numerous users reporting significant bugs, glitches, and performance issues that often render it unplayable. Many players experienced stuttering, crashes, and graphical anomalies, even on high-end PCs, leading to frustration and refunds. While some found the core gameplay enjoyable, the overwhelming consensus is that the game is plagued by instability that detracts from the overall experience.

    • “Apart from a few crashes, I've had no issues or bugs with the game and it runs great on my RX 5700 and Ryzen 5 3600XT.”
    • “I have a GTX 1070, it runs great!”
    • “Now the positive: great immersion, absolutely beautiful, great animations, decent sounds, okay holding of objects, runs great, feels great, decent price for the product, and all around a good game!”
    • “It's very glitchy, buggy, and the AI are terrible, but I would recommend this game for the visual flair and stories it tells nonetheless.”
    • “This is probably the most buggy game in VR I have ever played, falling through the map, getting hit from behind cover, guns just flat out not working, firing blanks, enemies with infinite health, teleporting enemies, grabbing your gun when you're trying to grab something else or vice versa, grenades not exploding, the aforementioned snipers not hitting when aimed squarely on an enemy's head.”
    • “God damn, I regret giving this game a positive review. This game is pissing me off just how badly made it is and how f***ing buggy it is. I'm on mission 6 and got 2 episodes left to the ending, but I keep on crashing when I try to load up the episode. If anyone is thinking about buying this, don't save your money for a better working f***ing game where you can finish the god damn story without crashing on the last 2 episodes. I'm so angry for spending my money on a game where I'm not able to finish it; it is such a disrespect to the soldiers who fought in the war.”
  • music102 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising the high-quality orchestral soundtrack by Michael Giacchino, which evokes nostalgia for the original Medal of Honor series. However, others criticize the music's placement and thematic inconsistency, noting that it can feel out of place during intense scenes, and some tracks are repetitive or abruptly cut off. Overall, while the soundtrack is appreciated for its quality, its execution and integration into gameplay leave room for improvement.

    • “The music is high quality (albeit a bit short and repetitive on loop in some levels).”
    • “This game is awesome, I have played till the end, it has a lot of missions, it's very well done, the music is excellent, we really need more games like this one for the PCVR.”
    • “There's so many amazing moments in the game too, like the two missions in the B-17 bomber... as epic music plays, blasting Nazi after Nazi as the Wedding of Figaro plays loudly, making you feel like an unstoppable badass.”
    • “I mean I can be watching a bunch of Nazis commit atrocities against the rest of the human population and at the same time be listening to a soundtrack that sounds like it's straight out of a Harry Potter film.”
    • “Then there's the music; it is so over-the-top cheesy!”
    • “When they said Giacchino was doing the soundtrack, what they meant was that they just copy/pasted the whole thing from the first MOH game in which he did the soundtrack.”
  • humor77 mentions

    The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating its light-hearted and campy moments, while others find the jokes juvenile or awkward. Some highlight funny character interactions and amusing bugs, contributing to a fun experience, but others feel the humor detracts from the game's seriousness and emotional weight. Overall, the game offers a blend of humor and action, though opinions vary on its effectiveness and appropriateness.

    • “And the animations are funny at best, and hilarious at its worst, and you get to fight with 2 baddies in WWII; what else can you ask for?”
    • “You cannot take it too seriously; plenty of funny moments even in more demanding missions.”
    • “Just trying to balance out the reviews here since people are being way too critical of this game... I spent an hour in the shooting range alone, just laughing out loud at all of the hilarious ways that the Nazis meet their end, while thoroughly enjoying the unique gun mechanics.”
    • “Some of the jokes are unique, as in they don't happen more than once in the game, but they suffer from the basic fact that they are not funny to anyone outside of kindergarten.”
  • grinding34 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being uninspired, formulaic, and excessively tedious, with many players expressing frustration over long cutscenes, awkward mechanics, and repetitive dialogue that disrupts immersion. While some players note that no grinding is needed, the overall sentiment leans towards the experience being laborious and unengaging, leading to doubts about completing the game.

    • “No grinding needed.”
    • “Decent grinding.”
    • “A lot of grinding.”
    • “Uninspired, formulaic, and tedious.”
    • “Lots of effort put into the game, but terrible mechanics, tedious cutscenes, and long loading times really destroy the immersion.”
    • “This game has one of the most insultingly tedious tutorials I've ever seen in a game.”
  • atmosphere28 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised, with many reviewers highlighting its impressive graphics and immersive world-building, particularly in the context of a VR experience. While some players noted issues like silently spawning enemies and flat loading scenes that detract from the overall mood, the general consensus is that the developers have created a solid and engaging atmosphere that enhances gameplay. Overall, the attention to detail and the emotional impact of the environment contribute significantly to the game's appeal.

    • “I don't write many reviews and I wanted to finish the game before I wrote this, so here we go... put simply, it was an amazing game; the graphics and atmosphere were incredible, gameplay and controls were all fine.”
    • “They built up a world with a great atmosphere that gives you the feeling of reality.”
    • “I am overwhelmed; the atmosphere is impressive.”
    • “The silently spawning enemies is probably the largest issue with the game, but the mood and atmosphere also falls short.”
    • “I hope that they could do another one with more improved VR mechanics, denser gameplay atmosphere, and a story that flows/drives more.”
    • “The flat loading/victory scenes could use a bit of atmosphere, but are otherwise acceptable for me.”
  • emotional27 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by poignant moments, such as the impactful ending where a character's death elicits a heartfelt confession of love, and the accompanying documentary series about WWII veterans that deeply resonates with players. While some found the main story lacking in emotional depth compared to earlier titles, many appreciated the emotional investment it fostered, alongside moments of humor and powerful storytelling. Overall, the gallery content and character development significantly enhance the emotional experience, making it a memorable part of the game.

    • “The documentary was touching; it was the first time I've shed tears in a VR headset.”
    • “This material is really worth watching, as it lifts this harsh war onto an emotional level.”
    • “It really draws you in and had me much more emotionally invested in the story than I expected.”
  • monetization26 mentions

    The game is priced at $40 and notably lacks microtransactions, loot boxes, or in-game ads, which is a positive aspect compared to other titles from major publishers like EA. However, many users perceive it as a cash grab due to its poor execution, buggy performance, and failure to deliver on advertised features, leading to disappointment and frustration among players. Overall, while the monetization model is commendable, the game's quality has overshadowed this aspect, resulting in a negative reception.

    • “It's not surprising this game was a flop; this was the filthiest VR cash grab from a big studio I've ever seen.”
    • “This felt like a pretty cheap cash grab in the VR market without any real effort put in, but that's nothing new for the publisher.”
    • “Just wish I didn't feel like it was a cash grab considering some of the issues we had on release prior to patches, which if developers had played in VR themselves would have been picked up on before release.”
  • replayability22 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is highly inconsistent among players. While some appreciate the campaign's replay value and potential for multiplayer enjoyment, many criticize the lack of engaging content and balance, leading to a perception of minimal replayability after completing the main story.

    • “Truly recommend this game and I see it as a game that certainly has replay value.”
    • “I'm probably about halfway through the campaign, I can tell there's a lot more awesome to come, and various levels of the campaign itself have plenty of replay value.”
    • “Replayability is high and I have not even had a chance to try multiplayer yet.”
    • “There is little to no replay value once you have completed the campaign and I wish I could get a refund.”
    • “The replayability of multiplayer maps is non-existent.”
    • “Horrible story, no replayability, stupid NPCs, no balancing, etc. It sucks.”
  • character development8 mentions

    Character development in the game is largely criticized as non-existent, with many users expressing disappointment in the lack of meaningful interactions and depth. While there seems to have been an initial intention to focus on character and story development, the execution falls short, leading to a sense of disconnect, particularly with the NPC designs that evoke an uncanny valley feeling. Overall, the game's character development does not meet the expectations for immersive VR experiences.

    • “The interaction and character development is truly what VR immersion is all about.”
    • “The character development is absolutely non-existent.”
    • “I guess they were going for character development and story development in the beginning.”
    • “I get the uncanny valley feeling when I look at the NPCs - maybe that's just me, but I feel they could've pushed for more of a realistic approach in character design.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

62% average critic score

Buy Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond

Play time

5hMedian play time
6hAverage play time
3-10hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 56 analyzed playthroughs

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